Whitley Strieber

Whitley Strieber

Full Name: Louis Whitley Strieber
Date of Birth: June 13, 1945
Place of Birth: San Antonio, Texas, USA
Occupation: Author, radio host, public speaker
Genres: Horror, science fiction, thriller, nonfiction (especially paranormal/UFO)

Early Life and Education

Whitley Strieber was born in Texas and raised in a Catholic family. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and later studied at the London School of Film Technique. Early in his career, he worked in advertising before transitioning into full-time writing.

Writing Career

Fiction

Strieber first gained recognition as a horror and science fiction novelist:

• The Wolfen (1978) – A horror novel about intelligent predators living in urban environments; adapted into a film in 1981.

• The Hunger (1981) – A vampire novel, later turned into a cult-classic movie starring Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie.

Non-Fiction & Paranormal

In 1987, Strieber published Communion, a nonfiction account of what he described as personal experiences with non-human entities (often interpreted as alien abduction). The book became a bestseller and ignited massive public interest and controversy.

He followed up with other works expanding on his experiences and theories:

• Transformation (1988)

• Breakthrough (1995)

• Solving the Communion Enigma (2011)

• A New World (2019)

These books mix personal narrative, philosophical inquiry, and paranormal speculation.

Other Work

• Podcast: Strieber runs his long-running podcast Dreamland, which features interviews on topics like UFOs, consciousness, and the afterlife.

• Collaborations: He co-wrote several books with Art Bell (e.g., The Coming Global Superstorm, which inspired the film The Day After Tomorrow).

Legacy and Public Perception

Whitley Strieber is a polarizing figure—regarded by some as a sincere explorer of anomalous experiences and by others as a speculative or fictional writer presenting unproven claims as truth. Nevertheless, he remains one of the most well-known figures in the modern UFO and paranormal communities.